In The Shadows [Book Two]

Chapter Nineteen:

Chapter Nineteen:

I smiled as I took my place at the breakfast table, looking towards my mother and our guests, Alecto and Amycus Carrow. Draco had gone back to Hogwarts after the Winter Holiday while I was still at Malfoy manor, told that I wasn't needed at Hogwarts but rather that the Dark Lord required my assistance.

But assistance for what, I hadn't found out yet.. and I'd been stuck at the manor for over a month.

However, I was in the midst of getting exactly what I wanted in return for staying. Narcissa Malfoy had gone to the Dursley's and demanded that they give parental custody over to her, we left to get the paper work signed that same day and for now we were simply waiting for another muggle judge or some such to officially grant the custody and adoption of me to the Malfoy's.

We were told that could take anywhere from four weeks to six months, but I was hoping for the weeks, obviously. The moment those papers came in, I could legally get my name changed to Amaryllis Malfoy, and I wasn't the only one looking forward to that it seemed.

The Carrow's had immediately begun calling me Miss Malfoy whenever they learned of what was happening; though they disliked the way we were going about getting my adoption figured out.  They made that quite clear every time the subject was broached.

"Honestly Narcissa, I would have just killed the muggles and adopted the girl. It would have been so much easier," Alecto muttered, her thin lips turned into a grimace as she spoke of the Dursley's.  She always looked relatively constipated when speaking of muggles, as if her body simply couldn't handle the existence of them.

"Amaryllis wanted to go about this the proper way," Mum knocked the blame onto me though I suppose she was right. I didn't want to just kill the disgusting creatures, I wanted to do this the right way... and then maybe kill them.

"I prefer watching them squirm, I want to keep them alive long enough to terrify them, torture them and then.. if I'm feeling particularly kind, I'll kill them," I used my fingers to pick up a piece of toast before grabbing a spoon and using it to move eggs and ham atop the bread before shoving a large bite into my mouth.

I looked like a pig and I didn't care.

"No wonder Bella took such a liking towards you, you remind me of her when she was your age," Amycus replied, his mouth tilted into a grin as he sat back, watching me with interested eyes as I stuffed my face.

Alecto and Amycus Carrow, though twins, didn't look much of anything alike. Where Alecto was short and stocky with thin lips, blonde hair, a rounded face, mismatched ears and a puggish nose, Amycus was tall, muscled and thin with his hair shaved and his face was rather angular. Honestly, you would never guess that they were even related if you saw them next to each other. The only thing they shared were they eyes, which were different colours but both sets filled with anger, hatred and well.. evil.

I quite liked their presence honestly.

I worked hard to keep on their good side the last month, because if all went according to plan, they'd be teaching at Hogwarts the coming year once Dumbledore was dead. Snape would be Headmaster, Alecto would be Deputy Headmistress as well as the Muggle Studies professor (which was quite the shocker, considering the look she has when so much as muttering the word 'muggle'), and Amycus would be Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

If all didn't go according to plan, then it wouldn't matter because I wouldn't be allowed back at Hogwarts after skipping an entire term.

Mother and the Carrow's kept conversing, their tones rising and falling in pitch as they went on about something I didn't care about and once I'd finished eating, I left my plate at the table before heading out of the manor.